War On Morality
by Blak-Ice
Summary: Morality has never been a problem for Danny. Good was good, bad was bad. But when Danny joins forces with Vlad to create an army for an impending battle, how will he face his biggest moral decision yet: Using his own children for an army. Can things get worse? How about leaving his girlfriend pregnant with a daughter he never knew about? Can he do what's morally right for everyone?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Plans

"Alright, Daniel, I don't know why you called me here, but if this is some kind of trick, I warn you, you shall not like the consequences," Vlad said as he floated over up to the young halfa who looked over the town he protected with dark green eyes that were hard and calculating.

Danny didn't acknowledge the man or his threat as he continued to look upon the peaceful town that he had spent the last two years of his life defending with every ounce of his strength he had. All of the battles he had fought, the people he saved. It all happened in such a short amount of time, and yet it seemed like just yesterday that he stepped out of that portal, hair white, skin pale and eyes glowing green. As he turned around, Vlad could see something in his eyes that told him that whatever the reason was that he was here, it was serious.

"Calm down, Plasmius," Danny said as he fully faced the man before him. "I've called you here because I need your help."

Vlad's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but soon returned to their position above his eyes in a hard defined line.

"And why exactly should I help you, Daniel? You, who has thwarted my plans multiple times, you, who has tried and tried again to best me, you, who has for mocked my mental health and has called me a fruitloop on every occasion! Tell me, why, Daniel, I should help you!?" Vlad yelled, his voice rising with every word. Danny continued to float, arms crossed, as Vlad yelled at him, completely unfazed by his anger.

"Are you done?" Danny asked, not amused by his foes' attitude. "Because if so, then we can get on to the reason I called you here." Vlad continued to glare at the young man, but said nothing. "That's what I thought. Now, as I said before, I need your help, and considering our history, you know that if I'm asking you of all people for help, then it must be serious. Which it is. Something big is coming that we need to prepare for. Something that if we don't stop it will plunge the world into chaos."

"And what is this something that has you so worried?"

"A battle. But not just any battle. A battle that if we lose could mean the absolute end of Earth as we know it."

"I see. Although all does seem rather bad, I still do not see what any of this has to do with me."

"I figured you'd say that," Danny said in annoyance. "Do you not understand that the entire world is in danger here?"

"Save the dramatics, Daniel, and get to on with what you want."

"What I want, is an army."

"An army?" Vlad asked in surprise before letting out a loud, somewhat dark, laugh at this. "That is hilarious. And I suppose you believe that I'm willing to supply you with the necessities you require for this army, correct?"

"That's right," Danny said as a smirk came onto his face that Vlad knew all too well was mocking.

"And what makes you so sure that I will help? Please, do tell me what exactly is keeping me from walking away and letting you deal with this little problem on your own?"

"Because you need my help too. If we don't join forces, you're just as doomed, if not more so, then I am."

"What!?" Vlad yelled, his hands clutching into fist at his side. "Jack's genes must finally be kicking in, boy, because that is the absolute dumbest thing I've ever heard. There is nothing that you can say that can convince me otherwise."

"Two words: Pariah Dark," Danny said, the smirk dropping from his face. Vlad's face soon became one of pure shock and disbelief as the information sank in.

"But…that is impossible! He is locked away in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. There is no way he can return. I have the key! There is no way!" Vlad protested.

"I thought so too. But lately, I've been having these nightmares that made no sense. All I could see was death. Destruction. Chaos. Nothing made sense. I didn't know what it meant, so I went to talk to Clockwork. He showed me that Pariah is going to return and he is going to bring an army bigger and stronger than his last one. As I'm sure you remember he's not particularly fond of either of us. Not to mention that you, Valerie and I didn't do so well the last time he invaded Amity Park. So as you can see, we need each other."

Vlad was quiet for a moment as he contemplated all of this. What Danny had said was indeed true, that much was certain. Pariah Dark was someone that neither of them could take care of alone and he definitely had a grudge against the two halfas. However, one thing that still puzzled Vlad was why Danny needed his help forming an army? Surely he had enough ghostly allies that he could call upon to help him in a time of need such as this. So why ask Vlad to help him with his army? This, he had to find out for sure.

"Alright, Daniel. You have made your point. But I'm curious as to why you would come to me for help with the creation of this army of yours when I'm sure you could just as easily call upon you little friends and allies in the Ghost Zone."

"Trust me, I'm no happier about it then you are, Plasmius," he said, narrowing his eyes. "And to answer your question, I'd like to try to keep my friends out of this fight as much as possible. As for my allies, I've already called upon both Frostbite and Dora, and they have insured me that they and their kingdoms will be ready to fight when the time comes. Unfortunately, they won't be enough."

"Oh, is that so? And why, pray tell, is that?"

"Their armies are strong, and will definitely be a welcomed addition to us and help us against Pariah's army. However, you and I both know that they would not be strong enough to help us fight Pariah. To do that, we need more powerful beings, and you and I both know what the most powerful beings in both worlds are."

"You can't be serious! You want to create an army of human ghost hybrids!?" Vlad asked in complete disbelief. "Daniel, have you gone mad!?"

"No, I haven't Vlad. I'm trying to prevent the total take over and destruction of Earth and the Ghost Zone!"

"Are you sure about this, Daniel? I mean, you and I both know of the pain and ramifications of the process required to become hybrids."

"What do you mean am I sure?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "Of course I'm not! In fact, it's a horrible idea!"

"Perhaps there is some other way that this can all be prevented. I mean to try and create a whole race of hybrids such as ourselves is something that is largely unheard of and unimaginable."

"Trust me, if there was one, I'd be doing that instead of floating here with you and debating the rationality of making more halfas."

"But you can't honestly expect us to be able to find people to change, train them and keep this all quiet before the resurrection of Pariah."

"On the contrary. We have years to prepare for it. Clockwork said he couldn't tell me exactly when, but he was able to tell me that we had until around my 30th birthday. So we have a little under 14 years to do so. Maybe a little less, maybe a little more. But what matters now is actually get prepared. As much as I hate to say this, I need help mastering my powers. And as I'm sure you already know, you need a bit of a refresher. Your skills seem a little rusty," he said, smirking at his comment.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Vlad asked as he looked into the young man's eyes. Danny gave him a stiff nod, knowing that he had thought long and hard about this decision. "But what about your family? How will your parents react to all of this?"

"They don't need to know right now," Danny said sadly before hardening his feelings once more. "My parents don't know about me yet, but they will. But by then, I'll be long gone. And as for Jazz…she'll be angry and upset for a while, but she'll get over it. I've already made sure that I've disabled all equipment that was attracted to me. Tucker will be ok. He'll know that I'm doing what I have to. If there's anyone I trust to keep everyone else level headed about what I'm doing, it's him. And as for Sam…I don't know about her. I know she'll go through hell and back trying to find me, and god help us if she does," he chuckled lightly as he ran a hand threw his pure white hair. "But I love her. And I made sure that our last night together was special, and as much as I know I'll miss her and everyone else, it's for the best. I've already warned the others in the Ghost Zone not to tell them of what is going on or about where to find me."

As Vlad floated there, gazing upon the young man he had known for only a few short years, he was truly amazed at the number of sacrifices he has, and was still willing to make for the good of others. Such maturity was a rarity, especially in the world they lived in, and yet, there was so much that this young man was willing to do to protect it.

"Alright, Daniel. As I see there is no changing your mind and that this is indeed a very big problem for the both of us, I shall trust you and follow your lead on this," Vlad said, holding his black gloved hand out to Danny. Danny looked upon him in hesitation. Here he was, about to do the one thing he swore he would never do in his life. He was handing himself over to his archenemy, Vlad Plasmius, the man who had wanted him to be his apprentice for so long, and now, he was finally getting his wish. Danny slowly lifted his own gloved hand and took hold of Vlad's, gripping it tight before shaking it. Vlad couldn't help the smile that came to his lips. "Now, where do you want to begin? We obviously will have to be cautious about whom we select for this project, and-"

"We aren't selecting anyone," Danny said as he interrupted Vlad.

"I do not understand. How else do you expected to form an army of halfas without people?"

"By creating them."

"Creating them? But Daniel, you know that the cloning of halfa DNA is near impossible to do."

"Trust me, I remember the three messed up clones that you sent to try and get me, Vlad," he said as he narrowed his eyes. "But I'm not subjecting anyone else to the pain I suffered when I stepped into the portal and got zapped."

"Well then what do you suggest we do? Try to turn ghost into humans?" Vlad asked in annoyance.

"Come on, Vlad. We're working together now. You can stop with the games already. I know about the kids."

"I have no idea what-"

"Cut the crap, Vlad!" Danny yelled, his eyes flashing even brighter. "You and I both know that after the cloning screw up, you tried to combine your DNA with donated eggs. I know about the twins, Vlad." Vlad's eyes became hard as he gazed upon Danny.

"Fine, so I was successful in creating my own children with my sperm and eggs that were donated. What does that have to do with-" Vlad paused as he finally understood where Danny had been going. "Daniel, you can't be seriously considering creating and using your own children in battle. Especially one like this!"

"I am, Vlad. You and I both know that if our children have our strength and we train them properly, it's our best bet. As much as I hate doing this, I know the fate of the world is more important than my moral turmoil. But I swear, when this is all over, they are going to have a normal life. I am not raising my kids to be soldiers. They will have as normal of a childhood as possible."

Vlad sighed as he placed a hand on his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. For Danny to want to do something as rash and absurd as this, he must really be desperate and out of options.

"Alright, Daniel. We will do this. I shall do my part in helping to train and provide all the necessary provisions."

"Thank you, Vlad. I really appreciate this."

"I know. Now, our first course of action is that we shall find a location to start building a training facility where we can hone your skills and prepare Heather and Trevor for when their powers manifest."

"Wait, Vlad, you can't. I couldn't ask you to-"

"Nonsense, Daniel. It was only a matter of time before they were going to have to learn to use their powers. Though they are only coming upon their second birthday soon, the sooner we get them ready, the better. Besides, they will be older, and there for have more control and be of greater assistance to us in the coming battle."

Danny nodded his head, taking another look behind him at the town he grew up in.

"How long will it take their powers to grow?"

"Not long at all. So far, the twins have already shown that they have some abilities. Though I wouldn't expect them to show any progress that we can begin to train them until they are at least five or six years old."

Danny nodded his head, looking longingly at Amity Park one last time, tears building in his eyes, before closing them tight and turning his back.

"Come on, let's get going," he said. Vlad nodded his head, and the two headed off toward the older man's home to properly plan their next move.

* * *

The sun shone bright over Amity Park as its citizens awoke and began their daily activities. One citizen in particular, Sam Manson, stretched her tired body, letting her stiff joints pop and release tension, before climbing out of her queen sized bed and heading into her personal bathroom. The feeling of the hot water in her shower made Sam sigh with pleasure, though with the events of the previous night continuously playing through her mind, that wasn't very hard for her this morning. After two years together, Danny and Sam had finally gone all the way, something she had been looking forward to for a while.

Sam couldn't help the smile that ran across her face as she stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself. If she had been keeping a list of the things that made her life perfect, losing her virginity to the man she loved with her very being would be on it, right under the name of the man himself, Danny Fenton. Tying her purple robe around her, Sam walked back into the room, only to find it empty.

"Danny?" she called, looking for her boyfriend. "I could have sworn he was just here." As she looked around the room, Sam began to think back to a few minutes ago when she had woken up, and was starting to realize she hadn't felt his presence beside her. Normally, she would find herself wrapped snuggly in his arms. "Maybe he went home early and didn't wake me."Picking up her phone, she quickly dialed his number, which she had memorized, but received no answer. She tried calling again, but simply received the same dial tone and voicemail.

With a sigh, Sam set the phone down and started getting dressed to head over, figuring he was probably fighting a ghost. 30 minutes later, Sam found herself outside of Fenton Works, the luminescent sign hanging high in the sky. As she began her ascent up the small porch, she suddenly turned at the sound of her name being called.

"Sam!"

"Oh, hey, Tucker. What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for Danny. He hasn't been answering his phone so I figured I'd come here and check on him. Have you seen him?" Tucker asked as they stood side by side on the porch.

"No. He was with me last night, but was gone when I woke up this morning, so I figured he came home," she said as she pressed the doorbell. They waited a few seconds before hearing the tumblers click and the door open to reveal Jazz.

"Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?" she asked as she stepped aside for them to enter into her home.

"We're looking for Danny. Have you seen him?"

"Um, no? We thought he was with you guys. He said he was sleeping over at Tucker's house last night."

"But…that doesn't make sense," Sam said slowly as the worry started to come over her. "He was with me last night."

"Why was he with you," Jazz asked suspiciously as she crossed her arms and eyed Sam.

"He came by last night and we were just laying there talking and stuff like usual, and I guess I fell asleep because he was gone this morning," Sam lied in an attempt to cover up the fact that she had done literally the most intimate act two humans could with Jazz's younger brother, though the slight reddening of her face almost gave her away.

"Well let's go to his room. Maybe he flew home," Jazz said, looking at Sam one more time before turning and heading up the stairs with Sam and Tucker close behind. "Danny?" she said as she knocked on his bedroom door. When she received no answer, she grabbed the knob and pushed the door open to reveal an empty room. The three walked in slowly, looking around the room for any sign of Danny's recent activity. "Danny?" Jazz called again, walking over to his closet. Tucker walked over to his desk where he found Danny's phone laying.

"That's weird. Danny always has his phone on him. Do you think something happened to him?"

"Oh my god…" Tucker and Jazz turned around to find Sam, slumped over on Danny's bed, crying her eyes out. "No…No! No! NO!" she screamed as her body began to shake.

"Sam! What is it? What's wrong?" Tucker asked as he tried to calm his friend down. As Jazz jogged across the room to them, she couldn't help noticing the small piece of paper crumpled in Sam's hand.

"Hey, what's this?" she asked, taking the letter from Sam who was too busy crying to care. Jazz quickly ran over the letter, her eyes going wide with shock before she too had tears in them. "That…that stupid…no good…" Jazz stammered as she buried her face in her hands and let the letter fall to the ground.

"Oh no, not you too," Tucker said. "Jazz, what's wrong?" When he got no response, he picked up the letter and began to read.

_Dear Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Mom and Dad,_

_I don't really know where to begin…I guess I'll say first that I love you all, and that I hope you never forget that. And it's for that specific reason that I have to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry because I have to leave to protect you all. I know it hurts. I know you're probably asking why, but…I can't tell you why. One day I will though, just not now._

_Jazz. You're smart and have a bright future. Please, don't change. You're the best sister anyone could ask for. _

_Tucker. You maybe a techno-geek, but I can't even count the number of times you've saved my butt. We've had some good times bro. Keep an eye on Sam and Jazz for me. I know you can do it, and that you out of everyone will have my back on this._

_Sam. I love you. I really, really love you, Sammy. I know you hate that nickname, but…never forget that. If there were any other way for me to do what I'm about to do, I would. I swear. But there isn't. I know this is hard, but I will be back one day. _

_Mom, Dad…there's so much I want to tell you…so many lies I've told you, and I'm sorry you have to find out this way._

_I love you all. Never forget that._

_-Danny_

"Danny…who…why…I don't understand," Tucker said as a few tears came to his face.

"We have to find him," Jazz said before hearing the door open quietly.

"Find who?" Maddie asked as she and Jack walked into the room. Maddie was a little surprised when she saw the three teens all crying. "Kids, what's wrong? And…where's Danny?"

Tucker looked at the half crumpled paper in his hand sadly before handing it over to Maddie.

"Here, Mrs. F. Read this."

Maddie looked at him wearily, looking at her husband quickly who shrugged his shoulders before taking the ruined letter and reading it with Jack looking at it from over her shoulder. Maddie's hand flew to her mouth as she took in what this small piece of paper was telling her. Her son had run away. For reasons that he couldn't say which only made her feel worse. Was it her parenting? Had something happened to him that she didn't know about? She quickly rounded on the teens.

"Where's Danny?" Maddie asked in near hysterics. Jazz opened her mouth, but choked back a sob. "Jazz, where is your brother?" Maddie asked forcefully as she got in front of her daughter. "Jasmine, answer me!"

"I don't know! He's gone!" Jazz screamed as she cried harder. Maddie couldn't help the sorrow and hurt that ran through her. She opened her arms and Jazz quickly fell into them, clinging to her mother like she had many times when she was a child. Maddie held her daughter as they both cried and Jack placed a sad hand on his wife's shoulder as he too started to cry for his son. "Oh, Mom…Dad…ther-threre's something…"

"Shh…it's ok, sweetie," Maddie said, rubbing her back.

"No…it's about Danny…he's been keeping a secret from you. Danny is…" she stopped before the words could fall from her lips. Could she really give away her brother's biggest secret? A secret he had protected and had entrusted her to protect?

"Jazz," Tucker said, causing her to look at him. He gave her a simple nod, knowing they had to tell them eventually and now, Danny had left them no choice. "It's time they knew."

"Knew what? What about Danny," Jack asked as he looked at the seriousness in the young man's face.

"Danny…is..was…" Jazz stammered.

"He's the ghost boy!" Sam yelled, speaking for the first time since she had found the letter. "He's Danny Phantom!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chptaer 2: First Born

Danny smiled a sad but brilliant smile at the small bundle in his arms. Wrapped up in the small blue baby blanket was a baby. But not just any baby; his baby. His first born child was finally here, after nine long months of waiting and debating with himself over the fact that he was doing this, he was finally here. A son. Danny was a father now, and not just a father, but the father of a healthy baby boy. His black hair and his blue eyes; he was an exact mirror image of Danny. But as much as Danny wanted to be happier, he couldn't stop thinking about how doomed his son was.

'_Ironic. Here I am, almost 18 years old, holding a son that was created from my sperm and some random woman's egg. A son who was born to fight a war against Pariah Dark. A son who was born to be a fighter. A son who wasn't born of love between two people. A son I didn't have with Sam…' _

Danny's eyes started to tear up a little, but he held them back. As much as he wanted to kick himself for doing so, Danny had already come this far and had already sealed this child's fate as well as the others that were on their way. No, there was no time for crying now. There was work that needed to be done. But if there was one thing Danny was sure about, it was that when he died for good, he wasn't getting the option of being a full ghost. No, he was sure he was going to Hell for this.

"Thank you," Danny said as he placed the baby boy back in the hospital cradle and looked at the women behind him on the bed. "You have been a very big help."

"It was no trouble," she said as she relaxed into the pillows with fatigue. "It's what I was getting paid for."

"Indeed it was, my dear," Vlad said from the other side of the bed. "And you shall receive your last payment as well as have all you hospital expenses paid for. But do not forget the contract you signed to remain in secrecy about this. No need for the press to get word of any of this." At this, Vlad looked over to Danny who knew what Vlad had meant. If word had gotten out that Vlad Masters was in the process of paying surrogates to mother children for him, it would be a huge news story. If that were to happen, things would only get more complicated for him and Danny, especially because if his family and friends got wind of this, they would know where to find Vlad, which means that they would know where to find him. After being gone for the last year without any contact with them, Danny knew that they would jump on the chance to find him, and if that happened, things would only become more complicated.

"Trust me, for the amount of money you're paying me, you don't have to worry about that," she said before looking back to Danny. "So if you don't mind me asking, what's his name?"

"DJ. Daniel Junior," Danny said with a smile. He had always known that if he ever had a son, he was going to name him after himself. "He's my first born after all."

"Daniel. That's a nice name."

"Daniel Junior. I like it. Well done, my boy," Vlad said proudly as he smiled at Danny.

"Thanks. And thank you again for everything Miss…" Danny hesitated as he realized he didn't know her name.

"Rebecca. My name is Rebecca," she smiled.

"Rebecca. That's a lovely name," Danny said smiling. "Come on, Vlad. Let's leave her to rest while we finish up with signing papers for DJ."

Vlad nodded his head and followed Danny out of the room. As they reached the reception desk, Danny was handed a clip board with various papers, including the birth certificate. As he finished filling them out and walked toward the exit, Vlad placed his hand on Danny's shoulder, smile still on his face.

"Well done, my boy. Congratulations on the birth of your first born, and a son no less. He I can already see him being a natural born leader like you and is a wonderful start to your legacy."

"Can it, Vlad," Danny said, his foul mood coming to the surface quickly. "This isn't something I'm particularly proud of, and you know it. So congratulating me on this isn't going to make it any better."

"Oh come now, Daniel. I thought by now you would have come to terms with this. I mean, it's been a whole year since this whole venture started, and you've become significantly stronger, wiser and an all around better person," Vlad said as they got into the back of the small black car they had arrived in with tinted windows so as not to give themselves any unwanted attention. "I mean, your first child was just born. Can't you at least try to be happy?"

"Are you kidding me? How can I be proud or happy knowing that I'm creating kids and giving them life just to use them as soldiers in a war!? I'm scum. I'm disgusted with myself, Vlad. There's a special place in Hell for people like me. And he was only the first one. I've got three more kids on the way. How can you honestly expect me to feel better? Just because I've gotten stronger? Because this is supposed to be for a noble cause?"

"Oh come now. You and I both know the reasons for doing this. Besides, it's one battle. Of course it is the battle that decides the fate of Earth as we know it, but that makes little difference at this point. The point is to put Pariah Dark down once and for good, and you said it yourself, there is no stronger force then hybrids such as us. Besides, we both know your children were destined to do great things the second you stepped into your parents' portal and got yourself electrocuted. But I can ensure you that they will live as normal lives as possible."

"Are you insane!?" Danny yelled as he looked at the man across from him, his eyes flashing green. "How will they be normal!? They are going into a battle, something that will most likely scar them for life! It's not bad enough that they will never be normal and have ghost powers, now they have to use them in a fight and have the pressure of saving the world on their shoulders!"

"Believe me, Daniel, I understand, but it's too late to turn back now. And you said it yourself, there was no other way," Vlad said, sympathy seeping into his voice. "I know you don't want this for them. I don't want it for Heather or Trevor either, but we know it's going to happen, and the best option for everyone right now is to prepare."

Danny feel silent as his anger calmed and he took in what Vlad had said. As much as he didn't want to admit and wanted to continue to blame himself for all of this, he couldn't because everything Vlad had said was right. Ever since he had stepped into that portal, the fate of himself and his children were altered. Though he could blame himself for that much, the oncoming battle he was going to participate in was out of his control completely. All he could do was prepare himself for it. And the more they were prepared, the smoother things could go. For all of them.

Not long after, they arrived at their new home, a mansion almost identical to Vlad's last manor but was isolated from anyone else and had many acres of land surrounding it. As they pulled into the gate, Vlad activated the security system which was also equipped with a Ghost shield so that not only would they not be disturbed, but also to help prevent the running away of two adventurous children who ran up to the car as it parked in front of the house.

"Daddy!" The two yelled as Vlad stepped out of the car. The elder man put on a real smile, something that Danny was still amazed to see on the man, as the two three year olds ran up and into their father's arms.

"Hello, dear children. And just what have you two been up to out here?" Vlad asked.

"We was pwaying, and Twevor cheated," the girl, known as Heather, said as she pulled on one of her blonde pigtails and held a stuffed doll in her other hand.

"He did?" Danny said, smiling and playing along with their game.

"NO!" Trevor said as he shook his head, his brown hair falling into his face. "Its nah my fauw I falled through da twee!"

"You feel through the tree? Wow, Trev. That's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I goed right through!" Trevor said with extra enthusiasm in his blue eyes. Ever since he had moved in, Danny had been like the big brother that Trevor had always wanted, and Trevor always loved trying to impress him, often following him around to try to be like him.

"Danny, wook what I can do," Heather said in a pout as she tried to get his attention. Much like her brother, Heather loved trying to impress Danny as he was always nice to her and she often told her brother that Danny was her boyfriend. Letting go of her hair, she held it out and concentrated hard on it. For a few seconds nothing happened, but soon, a small pink light began to spark from the center of her palm, and a tiny ball that was no bigger than a pebble floated over it before vanishing. Heather looked up at Danny, her green eyes full of hope that he thought she was cool like her brother.

"Wow, Heather. That's great!" Danny said as he kneeled down a little and smiled to her. Heather squealed in delight and hugged him before running back off into the house. Trevor quickly ran off after her, but for what reason, Danny didn't know.

"Well, why don't we go inside and have us some lunch, shall we?" Vlad said as he headed inside after his children. Danny sighed, his mind briefly going back to Amity Park, wondering what everyone else was doing before he headed inside, and closed the door behind him.

Back in Amity Park, things were going about as normal as it could for everyone else. Sam sighed as she checked her watch and stepped out of her car. She was late, her feet hurt and she needed a hot bath. Though she knew that last one was probably not gonna happen, she could still hope. As she walked up the steps of the porch, she took off her jacket, folding it over in her arms before pressing the doorbell. A few seconds went by before the door opened up to reveal Jazz, a smile plastered on her face as she looked upon her friend.

"Hey, Sam," she said, half hugging her.

"Hey, Jazz. Sorry I'm late as hell. I would have been here earlier, but one of the other tellers called in sick at the bank, and my manager asked me to stay longer. I would have said no, but I couldn't pass up the extra money."

"Oh, stop. It's fine. Tucker and Valerie have been checking out her equipment to make sure it's working properly, so I don't think they've even noticed," she said as they walked into the kitchen where the aforementioned two were looking over the equipment. As she set her purse down and took her seat, Tucker finally looked up from his work and smiled at his best friend.

"Hey, Sam," he said.

"Hello, Tucker, Valerie," Sam said with a smile.

"Hey, Sam. Man, you look wiped. They must be working you pretty hard over there at the bank, huh?" Valerie said as she reassembled a gun.

"You have no idea."

"Well hello, Sam," Maddie said as she and Jack entered the kitchen from the basement. "Good to see you. Now that everyone is here, why don't we get started." Walking over to a mini projector she set up, she pulled out a remote and activated it, causing the machine to light up and display the image. Valerie stopped polishing her gun and took a seat next to Tucker who sat on Sam's left while Jazz took up the seat on her right. "Now, in the last week, we've seen a small decrease in the ghost activity around the city. The list of attacks this week are the Box Ghost, Technus, a few ecto-pusses and Cujo, the ghost dog."

"Stupid dog," Valerie grumbled from her seat.

"You know, I don't think the Box Ghost should really count as an attack. More of a distraction. A really annoying one," Tucker said.

"Well, regardless, he was here. Moving on. It seems things are still going smoothly at the moment. We will also be testing out a few new weapons as well as some old ones we finally got working. We are also going to be field testing the new prototype of the Fenton Thermos. That's about it on our end. How about the rest of you?"

"After the Technus incident, I've been spending the last couple of days helping to restore damaged systems and checking for any traces of him, but so far, everything seems to be a-ok," Tucker said.

"Excellent!" Jack said, giving Tucker a thumbs up. "What about you girls?"

"Nothing eventful happened at the school, which was a relief," Valerie said. "As for the rest of the city, anything that's been damaged has been paid for and is being rebuilt."

"I've got nothing to report from my end," Jazz said.

"Me neither," Sam said. "Other than my aching feet from these stupid heels. I mean, seriously, who thought of these monstrosities!? I can't even-"

Sam stopped mid rant as a loud cry from the living room caught all of their attention. Sam turned around to see a tiny baby slowly try to stand up and walk forward, but soon fall backwards onto her butt. The small girl's face scrunched up as tears came to her shining blue eyes and a loud wail came from her mouth at failing once again to walk like all the big people she saw around her every day. Sam couldn't help smiling, her tiredness temporarily forgotten as she looked upon the crying baby.

"Oh, come here," she said in a cutesy voice that would have surprised anyone who knew her and hadn't seen her recently. She scooped up the girl and moved some of her pitch black hair from her face before rubbing her back as the girl's tiny fist clenched tightly onto her shirt, not wanting to let go. "Silly bunny. You're just like your mommy, aren't you? Always being stubborn and trying to do things too quickly." She smiled down at her, placing small loving kisses across the girls face. The tickling of her lips against the baby's face not only made the baby laugh in excitement, it made Sam chuckle as well. The young baby smiled and patted Sam's face in a happy gesture.

"Mama," she said slowly to be sure she could, but kept the smile on her face as she was happy to see Sam, though she had just seen her a few hours before when she had been dropped off before Sam's day at work.

"That's right, Danielle! Oh you're so smart!"

Everyone smiled at the scene, especially Tucker. Being Sam's best friend, as well as Danny's, he had taken up the task of trying to keep things running smoothly like he had been asked. But if there was one thing that he knew, it was that life had been hard for Sam for a while after Danny left. Not only being a single parent, but having to deal with the constant ridicule from girls like Paulina while she tried to finish high school and trying to make money working as a bank teller. But he knew the hardest thing for her, was having to raise her daughter without thinking about her father. Tucker still remembered the day Sam had called him, crying her eyes out and screaming that Danny was a bastard for what he did and that she hated him. Tucker, having heard this a few times before, didn't believe that she really felt that way and knew she didn't. Imagine his surprise when she told him that she did because he left her pregnant.

That had to have been the longest nine months for everyone in their group. Sam was a living nightmare, day in and day out. During that time, Valerie had become worried when Danny had stopped showing up to school, and she didn't believe a word of what Tucker had told her. Not to mention she noticed that Phantom had stopped showing up as well. Eventually she got tired of his lying and demanded to know what was really going on. Tucker hadn't really planned on getting her involved in all the mess that Danny had left him to clean, but he felt the more help they had the better.

Sam hid her pregnancy from everyone except Jazz, Tucker and Valerie for as long as she could, but eventually, both the Fentons and her own parents got wind of it, and she knew she had to come clean. When her parents found out, they were disappointed, but told her they would help her in any way she needed. Sam was completely shocked about this until she had realized that her parents weren't much older than her when they were pregnant with her. Although they were more accepting then she thought, she made sure to keep the identity of the father a secret from them. They already disliked Danny and knew of his running away. If they found out that he had also gotten their daughter pregnant, Sam knew all hell would break loose. His parents, on the other hand, were ecstatic and wished he were with them for it.

Sam contemplated for a long time if she even wanted a baby. She had even considered adoption. But then, on the day of Danielle's birth, after more than 16 hours of labor, she just couldn't give her up. Not after all the long waiting and the hard work she had put in to creating her, carrying her and bringing her into the world. No, that wouldn't be fair to anyone, especially not the baby girl she held in her arms wrapped in a pink blanket. She was so perfect, so beautiful. She looked exactly like Danny, which, instead of being upset, only made Sam love her more, if that were even possible.

And so, Danielle Jacqueline Fenton came into everyone's lives. Sam remembers how much she cried at her birth and how she kept calling herself stupid for even considering giving the wonderful gift she had been given up. She also remembered debating hard with herself about which last name she would give the girl, but decided that even if her father wasn't in her life, she should have his last name.

"I'm surprised she's not cranky," Jazz said. "She just would not settle down for a nap."

"It's alright. She'll probably be out before we even get home. Thanks again for watching her today."

"Of course. You know it's not a problem at any time. I love my niece and so do Mom and Dad."

"Yeah, I know. You guys are gonna turn her into a brat," Sam said, laughing. "When the day comes, you can keep her." She began her walk toward the door, stopping to put Danielle's jacket on and slinging the diaper bag over her free shoulder. "Say bye-bye, Danielle."

"Bye!" she said, squeezing her tiny fist in an attempt to wave to her family. Everyone said their goodbye, giving her kisses or waves, and watched as Sam left, closing the door behind them. Tucker continued to watch the door, a small smile on his face.

"Tucker, you ok?" Valerie said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking that, as weird as it sounds, I kinda glad Sam got pregnant."

"What? Why would you say that?" she asked in shock.

"Because even though Danielle reminds her so much of Danny, she makes Sam so happy, that she seems to think about him less. She knows she needs to be strong for Danielle, but also, because Danielle is her own person, and no matter how much alike they are, she knows she'll always have her daughter."

"Yeah. I guess you right," she said with a smile as she thought over his logic before looking back to the Fentons. "Speaking of Danny, any word from him?"

"No," Jazz said a bit sadly. "Nothing. And we can't use any of our equipment to find him. He made it pretty damn impossible to repair them. Not to mention he took all the files with the blueprints on them with him and probably changed them. We're trying to make new equipment to track him, but it's not going too well. Whatever it is that Danny's doing, he really doesn't want to be found."

Tucker wasn't surprised. He'd seen, even helped, Danny tamper with some of his parents weapons and gadgets before. He also knew that this was not something that they needed to bring up around Sam as she would be beyond angry if she knew that everyone was purposely trying to find him when he out right abandoned them all without any explanation as to why or when he would return. If he returned.

"I'm not surprised. When Danny gets an idea or sets his mind on something, changing his mind is like trying to get an angry bull to read a book," Tucker said as he returned to his seat. "I'm sure whatever it is, it's important and that Danny has good reasons for doing all of this. And you remember what the letter said. He'll be back."

"Yeah, but who knows when that'll be, Tucker," Jazz said as she folded her arms over each other. "I mean, if it wasn't for the handwriting and the obvious tampering with the equipment, not to mention the genetic lock on the computer, I'd be sure that someone had kidnapped him. I mean, we haven't even heard from him. How do we know he doesn't need our help?"

"We don't," Valerie said bluntly as she grabbed pieces to her bazooka and started cleaning. "But we know one thing; if he had wanted or needed our help, he would have asked. If he wants to do all this alone, I say we let him."

As much as Tucker didn't like the anger in Valerie's voice, he had to agree with her. Sure, Danny was his best friend, but she was right. If Danny had really trusted them like he claimed, he would have told them what was going on or asked for help. Especially Sam and Tucker. But Tucker knew he couldn't give up on his friend yet. He'd give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.

'_Danny, whatever the hell you're doing, whatever the hell is going on, you'd better have a good explanation for it.' _He thought before returning to work.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Calm Yourself

"That no fair!" DJ cried as he stomped on the grass in annoyance. Though he was young, DJ was quick to get angry with others and was known to throw tantrums to get his way which was usually how things went with the servants who took care of him as well as the other children. This was a fact that often annoyed the others who found it unfair that he always got what he wanted, which often led to multiple complaints, fights and tattle telling, something Danny hated dealing with on a daily bases.

"Go away, DJ" Trevor said as he and Heather floated off the ground. The two Masters children. Though only six years of age, were showing high potential to be great fighters and prodigies with the development of their powers earlier then their father had expected them to. Not to mention that the two were constantly trying to use their powers, and even though it had the effect of living them extremely tired at the end of the day, it also allowed them to develop them better and learn more about themselves.

"But I wanna pway!" DJ screamed as he pouted from his spot on the ground. "I'm telwing my daddy on you!"

"So! We don't care," Heather said with a smile on her face as she tried to move higher in an attempt to best her younger sibling. "Our daddy says that we're special and that when we gets big, we gets even specialer and that we'll get to change how we look like he and your daddy do!"

"But that no fair!"

Danny sighed as he stood upon the balcony of the playroom that Vlad had supplied for all of the children. It was no big secret that his eldest child had a problem with dealing with others who had things that he didn't or were better than him at something.

"I sweat, this is Vlad's fault," he mumbled quietly as he could in an attempt to prevent the sleeping child in his arms from waking. The even sounds of her breathing and the light grip she held onto his shirt had a calming effect on Danny, though of all his children, he worried about her the most.

On the day of her birth, Courtney Marie Fenton was born with hair as white as freshly fallen snow. Danny was horrified by this when he first saw her, and broke down crying thinking that this young baby had been born a ghost, and that her life was truly over before it even began. Try as Vlad did, he couldn't convince Danny to calm down until the blood results came back that the doctors always do to ensure that the baby has no medical problems. To Danny's surprise, it came back AB Negative. The rarest blood type there is. There was no mention of ectoplasm in her system, just like there was none in DJ's. This came as a relief to Danny because if there was blood in her veins and not ectoplasm, that meant she was human and not ghost, and that meant she was alive. As if he needed more proof that she was truly alive though, when she opened her eyes and stared up at him, his blue eyes met a beautiful shade of hazel, a color he has never seen in the eyes of any ghost he's come across.

Even though it all seemed to work out, Danny constantly kicked himself for never thinking about the possibility that a physical mutation could occur, and it left him wondering if any of his other children would suffer a similar fate. This little girl, his little girl, would have more to deal with then the other kids, and it was all his fault. Sure, he could blame biology and the random factors that are a part of reproduction, but even so, he was to blame for this. But he'd make it up to her. And not just her, but all of his children. He would make up for everything that they were going to have to go through, even if it took the rest of his natural born life.

As he looked down at her, he left out a sigh of relief at the fact she was now quietly sucked on her purple pacifier in her sleep, and started to stroke her hair as it came to her small shoulders. The minimal sucking noises were a reliving alternative to the screaming she had been doing not even an hour ago because she had gotten into a fight with one of her brothers. Even though she was two years old and getting a bit big for a pacifier in Danny's eyes, he was really reconsidering keeping it. As his mind wandered to the fact that she was the only girl old enough right now to play with the boys, he could foresee many more fights happening. No, he was definitely keeping the pacifier.

Turning around, he smiled as he watched two of his other sons, Scott and Thomas, or Tommy as everyone called him, play with some blocks that were of various shapes and sizes, and attempt to build a castle. For reasons unknown to him, Danny always found the two together, whether they were playing, napping or even eating, they were always together. Of course, that also made it easier for them to get into trouble. Danny had a suspicion that the reason because Scott was a shy child, often keeping quiet, even when he wanted something. I was never a surprise whenever he found the small, dark haired child clutching onto his younger brother who was much more outspoken and adventurous. Danny hoped that Scott would grow out of his shyness as he got older and hoped that the young blonde Tommy would calm down as he got older.

The door creaked a little as it was opened behind him, catching his attention. A servant bowed her head to Danny as she made her way over to Danny.

"Master Danny, Master Vlad has requested your presence in his office," she said.

"Thank you, Sandra, but please, I've told you before, just call me Danny," he said with a smile at the young girl who was probably no older then he was. Many of Vald's servants had brought along their families when he had given them jobs, and so many of Danny's servants were teenagers and young adults around his age. Vlad had done this on purpose because he saw how lonely Danny would get, especially when he would reminisce on the past, and felt that it wouldn't hurt to surround him with people his age that he could communicate with on a daily bases. Danny was grateful that he had done this, and took full advantage of trying to make friends with all his servants.

"My apologies. It just seems so improper to do so," she smiled back. Upon reaching him, she gingerly pried Courtney from her father, and held her to herself. They toddler groaned a little, but made no other indication that she knew she was being transferred to someone else. "Where would you like me to put her?"

"You can just put her in her room with Victoria-Anne. And can you please change them both?"

"Of course. It's no-"

"Daddy!" DJ screamed as he ran into the room. "Heavor and Trevor are being meanies!"

"Calm down, DJ," Danny said as he kneeled in front of his son. "You're going to wake your sister if you keep yelling like that."

"But theys was mean to me," he continued to insist.

"It's ok, buddy. Here, play with Scotty and Tommy for a bit, and then you guys get to have a nice snack. Doesn't that sound good?"

DJ's face lit up like a Christmas tree. If there was one thing he loved about the day, it was always snack time. It was always something tasty that the chef's made for them, his favorites being homemade baked goods. He nodded his head vigorously and ran past his father to the miniature castle his younger brothers were building, and proceeded to help them.

Danny turned around to Sandra who had a smile on her face as she watched him before turning and exiting the room, headed toward the girl's room. Danny smiled back and as he headed in the opposite direction toward Vlad's office, found a small bit of peace and calm in himself.

Sam jumped up from her bed where she had fallen asleep earlier in the day after putting her daughter down for a nap. Unfortunately, if the sudden burst of crying was any indication, she hadn't slept very long, and probably wouldn't be going back to it anytime soon.

With an exhausted sigh, she stood up and let her feet sink into the soft white carpet that was in every room in her apartment, and headed out of the master bedroom where she resided and into the smaller one next to it. Having left the door open after she left, she shuffled into the mess bedroom with blue walls and glow in the dark painted stars on the ceiling that Tucker had done for her, and went over to the crying child who was on her bed.

As she came upon her, the child finally saw her mother, and stretched out her hands, her universal sign that she wanted to be held. Sam bent down and picked her up, rubbing her back and making soothing noises to try and calm the girl. Looking down, Sam saw the reason for the girl's distress and sighed again.

'_God, this bedwetting thing is getting out of hand. I thought we finally had beaten this. I didn't want to believe it, but if this keeps up, I might have to start putting diapers in her bag for when she's at preschool during the week. I'm pretty sure her teacher's tired of having to change her pants everyday.' _ Sam thought as she feared for her daughter's reacquiring problem, another trait she received from her father.

"Shh…sweetie, it's ok. It's not that big a deal," she said as she rubbed her daughter's back.

"Bu-but…Tammy says-that big girls-don't wet-their-beds," she said between breaths as she held onto her mother tightly.

"Everybody has accidents, sweetie. You know, I bet if you ask Grandma Maddie, she'll tell you all types of stories about how Auntie Jazz used to do that, and she's a big girl."

"She..she did?" she asked, looking up at her mother with her big blue eyes that always seemed to have a sparkle in them.

"Of course. Just because you had a little accident doesn't mean you're not a big girl. And don't let Tammy or anybody else tell you that, ok?"

Danielle sighed and smiled at Sam before rubbing her nose against Sam's, a special little ritual that they had gotten into when Danielle was just a baby. It always gave her closure and made her feel better about everything because it showed that her mother was always there for her and would always have love for her.

"Now, let's go get you into a bath and then we can have a snack," Sam said to which Danielle nodded happily. Once she had be situated into a bath with plenty of bubbles and her favorite bath toys, Sam went back into her room and removed her sheets and comforter which she took and placed into the washing machine. As she came back into the bathroom to check on Danielle, she found a trail of water leading out of it and toward the master bedroom. Sam rolled her eyes and sighed before a smile came to her face.

"And here I thought we had gotten past the streaking phase," she said as she grabbed a towel and when on the hunt for the toddler. "Oh my, where oh were did Dani go?" As she stepped into the room, she could hear giggling coming from under her bed and smiled at the small feet sticking out. "I wonder where she could be. Maybe she's in the closet," she said as she walked over and pretended to look in there. "No? Well maybe she's under behind the curtain." Again, she looked but quickly turned to the bed. "Not there either? Oh well. Maybe she's in her room. But where ever she is, I hope I find her. Who else is gonna eat all those apples and peanut butter with me?" She quickly crept up to her bed, and grabbed Danielle's ankles, pulling her from under it with a squeal of delight as her daughter's laughter filled her heart with delight.

She placed her on the bed and took the towel she had thrown over her shoulder, and proceeded to dry the wet toddler's body and hair before picking her back up and kissing her all over her face. Danielle laughed, and returned the kisses to Sam's face, and though they were sloppy and wet, Sam couldn't have been and happier with the peace of mind of knowing that this little girl, her little girl, would always love her just as much as she loved her, and it was that fact that calmed her.


End file.
